ease your worries
by bravevulnerability
Summary: 'She was stressed, really stressed, and he knew better than to try and lighten her mood with lame jokes or a warm cup of coffee.' Fill for the 2013 winter hiatus kink meme.


_**A/N: Fill for the 2013 Winter Hiatus Kink Meme**_

_**Pairing: Castle/Beckett  
Kink/Prompt/Scenario: He gets her off under her desk.**_

_**Set in season 4.**_

* * *

Beckett came back from the restroom looking no better than she had before, still just as weary and exhausted as she had been when she'd excused herself for a bathroom break five minutes ago.

It was late, way too late for either of them to still be in the precinct, and she was insistently working on their latest case despite his attempts to persuade her to call it a night like everyone else on the team had. She was sure she was on the brink of a lead, positive she just needed to keep reading over the files and phone records scattered across her desk a few more times before she headed home.

Of course he stayed by her side, like the loyal sidekick he was, always unable to bear the thought of leaving her alone with no company but her desk and the murder board. It had become his nature. Waiting.

Beckett touched his shoulder, no more than a gentle brush of her fingertips over his blazer as she passed by to get to her seat, and yeah, she must really be tired if she was suddenly allowing herself caresses he usually only saw in her gaze.

She plopped down and buried her hands in her hair, taking a deep breath and a moment to gather herself, and he wanted to touch her back, trail a hand down her bowed spine and comfort her, do _something _rather than sit beside her with sympathetic eyes and itching fingers. But her posture was hunched and closed off, radiating tension. She was stressed, _really _stressed, and he knew better than to try and lighten her mood with lame jokes or a warm cup of coffee.

So he tried a different approach.

Carefully – mindful of the fact that although the homicide floor was currently empty, there was still the risk of someone walking in at any moment – Castle silently slid his chair closer to her desk, as close as he could get, and then dropped his hand to her knee.

Beckett's head jerked up from the cradle of her palms and she looked at him startled for a second before offering a strained smile at what she assumed was an attempt at comfort.

He left his hand curled around her knee, waited until she glanced back to the desk and the papers littering the wooden surface in front of her, to start moving his thumb back and forth over her kneecap. She seemed to straighten a little more at the motion, but made no move to push his hand away.

Oh yes, his plan was totally going to work.

The migration of his hand up her leg was slow, gradual, and he knew she noticed every inch of progress. But when his pinky brushed the apex of her thighs, her eyes cut to his sharply.

There was a moment of stillness, their gazes locked, and spools of nerves began to unravel in his gut because he had definitely crossed a line. She had asked him to wait for her, for her walls to completely fall to the ground, and here he was trying to-

Kate slumped a little in her seat and purposely allowed her legs to fall open, her eyes still glued to his, already dangerously dark with arousal and need, and holy shit. This was invitation.

She knew exactly what he was doing and she was giving him the okay, encouraging him even.

He arched an eyebrow at her in question, but she only nodded and deftly unbuttoned the front of her slacks, dragged the zipper down, and reached for the apprehensive hand still resting on her upper thigh.

"You sure?" he asked her softly as she guided his hand to the waistband of her pants.

Kate licked her lips, glanced around the empty floor before she let her attention fall to the NYPD homepage on her computer screen. Even if someone were to walk in at that moment, the protection her desk gave them would hide the position of his hand and what he was about to do with it, but he had the feeling if anyone saw her face, they'd get the idea.

He wondered if she got off on that – the chance at getting caught.

"Help me relax," she murmured, so quietly he couldn't even be sure she had actually said it.

He was still hesitant, still had the gnawing fear that she would regret this later on and never be able to look him in the eye again, but there had been certainty in her fingers when she had grabbed his hand and there was no denying the lust still flaring bright in her eyes.

Castle slipped his hand underneath the grey fabric of her slacks, over the silk of her underwear, and instantly felt the radiating heat through the material when he traced his fingers down to her center. He noticed her knee jerk at the light touch and trailed back up to the line of her panties, running his fingertips back and forth in teasing patterns over the smooth skin of her lower abdomen until she huffed impatiently.

He chuckled softly and dipped his hand lower, under the silk, and felt himself immediately hardening when he realized how wet - how _ready _- she already was.

Kate's breathing hitched as he stroked her lightly, dipping down into the pooling wetness of her arousal and dragging it back up to circle her clit, but otherwise her face remained neutral, eyes trained on her desktop.

But it was only seconds before her neck was flushing a deep crimson and her eyes were struggling to stay open, fluttering against the sensation of his fingers teasing at her entrance.

"Castle," she panted quietly and he could swear there was a type of desperation to her voice he hadn't ever heard before.

He slid a finger inside her and watched her swallow thickly, clench her white-knuckled fingers around the mouse, and spread her legs wider.

He added a second finger and something between a whimper and a gasp escaped her mouth. She had reclined farther into her office chair and he could tell she was trying so hard not to drive her hips upwards as he set a steady rhythm, straining not to grind into his hand, so he brought his thumb to her clit, applied the extra pressure she needed.

Kate moaned at that, unable to hold the noise in, and let her head fall back. She gave up the attempt at remaining professional and covered his hand with one of her own, encouraged his fingers to plunge deeper and finally allowed her lower body undulate into his hand.

"Watch the elevator," she choked out, dropping her other hand to his thigh and digging her nails into his jeans.

Castle quickened his pace, pumping his fingers faster and pressing harder on her clit until she was biting her lip to keep from crying out.

He tried to obey, tried to keep watch, but he couldn't keep his eyes off her face as she came – eyes screwed shut, spine arched, lips parted in a silent moan at the ecstasy of release.

He struggled against the urge to lean over and kiss her, taste her mouth as she rode out the final waves of pleasure.

Once her breathing had settled and her eyes were a little less hazy, he gently eased his fingers out of her, wiped them off with a tissue from the box on her desk, and refastened her pants for her. She looked over at him with a lazy smile and patted the spot on his thigh where she'd scored him with her nails.

"I think we should call it a night."

Castle nodded in agreement; there was definitely no way he would be able to stick around much longer. Not now that there was an urgent matter he needed to head home and take care of.

Beckett powered down her computer and proceeded to stand on slightly trembling legs. Castle held her coat up for her like always and placed a hand to her lower back to keep her steady on the short walk to the elevator.

After they stepped outside of the lobby and into the cool, night air, Castle wished her a goodnight, but she caught his arm before he could take a step in the direction of his loft.

"Hey Castle?"

He turned around to see her only inches away, a tentative smile on her face, and then she placed her hands on his shoulders, pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth.

"Thanks," she whispered, squeezing lightly before pulling away and starting down the sidewalk.

"Anytime, Kate." he called after her, reveled in the flash of a grin she shot him over her shoulder.

"Hopefully I can return the favor soon." she called back with a wink before she crossed the street and headed deeper into the city, leaving Castle briefly paralyzed with giddy anticipation in front of the Twelfth Precinct.

_Soon._


End file.
